Agents of Instruments
Okay, so Imperfectlychaotic had an awesome fic a little while ago with Jemma and May playing the piano, and it got me thinking about my favs and which instruments would portray them best (not necessarily that they would play) so... here are my thoughts.
Jemma Simmons – Clarinet
Understated and easy to miss in the towering sound of the orchestra or wind band, the clarinet is quiet, but no less musical. It's evasive tone portrays the cat in Peter and the Wolf, sliding in and out of situations without notice. The clarinet has a plaintive sound, and is excellent at portraying a quiet kind of sadness, unlike the passionate vibrato of the oboe, but like Simmons, who has barely had the chance to express herself about the tragedies that she has been through. As a member of the orchestra it can often be taken for granted, because of how easily it slips into the background.
Skye – Saxophone
The saxophone doesn't quite belong in the orchestra. It was invented long after the classical orchestra was formed, and thus doesn't have much of a place in it, like Skye worming her way into SHIELD in the unorthodox way at the eleventh hour. It is a woodwind instrument, like the flute and the clarinet, but is often confused for a brass by it's design, causing many people to be confused as to which family it belongs to. At first the saxophone is loud and in your face, demanding to be heard, but it's true strength is in how much it owns it's differences and uniqueness. It has a certain charisma and charm which springs from this.
Melinda May – Cello
Yeah, shippers unite. But really, May is the cello for a number of reasons, none of them connected to Phil Coulson. The cello is both a deeply emotional and a highly technical instrument. Because producing a sound on a string instrument requires less internal gymnastics than on wind, more complicated passages are written for string instruments which require a high level of precision to play. It has the potential to be a very expressive instrument, but does not often fulfil that opportunity. Because the cello is a bass instrument, albeit not the lowest one, it has a lot of weight and depth to it's sound. In an orchestra, the cello usually harmonises with other instruments, working more as a support than a soloist, but when they carry the melody it is something to behold.
Phil Coulson – Trombone
The trombone is kind of a goofy instrument really. Because it has a slide rather than valves or keys, it is one of the only wind instruments which can do a full glissando, and it does quite regularly. It is still very capable of the loud and proud dynamics of all brass instruments, and had the potential for a lot of nobility in it's sound. The trombone is something of an unapologetic instrument, like many in the brass family. When it is playing there is virtually no way you could think otherwise, and you will listen.
Leopold Fitz – French Horn
I was tempted to say bagpipes, but... nah. I have to admit that Fitz is the trickiest to place. Fitz, for me, is the french horn, the most understated of the brass instruments. While it shares the louder dynamics of the brass family, it's tone is much less obtrusive, blending in more easily than the trumpet or the tuba. The french horn is acknowledged as one of the most difficult instruments of all, due to how much of the pitch must be internalised, rather than relying on the instrument. Often it is difficult to get the french horn to play in tune because of this, and the embrasure is so difficult to master that beginners may have trouble making the instrument speak at all. It's tone can seem somewhat muddy on occasion, lacking the crisp articulation of strings and high woodwinds, but it benefits from a much deeper tone and stronger presence because of it.